


All Hallow's Eve Tradition

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-22
Updated: 2016-10-23
Packaged: 2018-08-23 22:07:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8344591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Pi uses patrolling as an excuse to visit her husband.





	1. Chapter 1

It was traditional for the witches of Jorvik to patrol certain locations during the Halloween period. Usually, Pi took whichever location appealed to her the most. The castle was usually nice, when she could hear the shrieks of frightened children on the ghost train in the castle (personally, she thought it was a little strange for the Baroness to have constructed a ghost train in the castle, but to each their own). Jarlaheim was also lovely, though it hurt a little to see how much it had fallen into ruin in recent years.

This was the first Halloween that Pi had experienced since she had seen the light and become a good witch. It was different now, without the rituals and festivals that the ‘normal’ witches partook in. It wasn’t that Pi wasn’t allowed to come, she was still a witch, after all. She just didn’t want to associate herself with those green-faced, cackling, evil witches. She had standards, after all.

Pi had always refused to even think about patrolling the fishing village before, when she’d been bad. She hadn’t wanted to see the pleading, sad face of her husband. But now… now, it was time to face the music. Especially after that letter she’d received from him earlier in the year. It was time to come home.

“Mayor Klaus, come quickly! A witch has landed in the village!” a villager cried, looking very distressed.

“A witch? Are you sure? It might just be a Halloween costume,” said Klaus. He had seen quite a few of the young riders getting around in Halloween costumes, after all.

“Yes, we saw her land,” said the villager. “Some people are saying that… well, she looks like your long-lost wife.”

“What? Where is she?” asked Klaus, getting up from his seat. He’d been sitting in the middle of town to enjoy the warm, salty afternoon air, not expecting it to be interrupted by anything bigger than a little paperwork. Could it really be true? Was his wife truly back? And if so, why?

Klaus followed the villager, who led him up to the lighthouse. There was quite a crowd up there, but they parted for him. And there, standing at the base of the lighthouse, a broom held in one hand, was the witch. Pi. His wife.

“Pi,” said Klaus softly. She looked older, as did he, but her skin wasn’t the green that he’d expected.

“Hello, Klaus,” said Pi. She glanced around, then frowned at the crowd. “Well, go on, get! We can hardly have a private conversation with you lot gawking at us.” The villagers made frightened noises, and Klaus turned to address them.

“My wife is right,” said Klaus. “Please, return to your homes. I must speak with my wife in private.”

As the other villagers returned to their homes, Klaus returned to his home. It had been his home since he’d become mayor of this place. It was small but cosy, with only enough room for one person. But that was okay, Pi had never really liked being in town anyway. She’d always preferred the outdoors.

“I see that you’re enjoying your life here,” said Pi, picking up a framed photograph of the fishing village by sunset.

“I would have enjoyed it more if I had a wife by my side,” said Klaus. Pi picked up another framed photograph, and smiled at it.

“I did look young and beautiful once,” said Pi, touching her younger face.

“But you lost it when you turned to witchcraft,” said Klaus.

“You always were a charmer,” said Pi drily. Klaus paled.

“I-I didn’t mean- please don’t turn me into a frog!” Klaus suddenly begged, falling to his knees in front of her. Pi cackled, seeing his trembling form before her.

“Oh, Klaus, get up,” said Pi. “I won’t curse you or anything. I don’t do that anymore. I’m a good witch.”

“Oh. Well then, would you like a cup of tea?” asked Klaus.

“I usually prefer swamp tea nowadays,” said Pi. “But I will take you up on that offer just this one time.”

They sat at the tiny kitchen table, sitting in silence while the kettle came to the boil.

“Go ahead and ask it,” said Pi.

“Why are you here?” asked Klaus. Not the question Pi had been expecting, but it was a start.

“Can’t I visit my husband?” asked Pi. “You are still my husband. We never divorced.”

“I do still love you,” said Klaus. “Can we make it work now that you’re no longer green and evil?”

“I don’t know. Can you be a better husband this time?” asked Pi.

“What do you mean? I was a good husband,” said Klaus. Pi snorted.

“No, you were a good mayor,” said Pi. “Such a good mayor that you neglected your own wife.”

“But I thought you liked being out in the summer house,” said Klaus.

“I liked it when I was with you,” said Pi. “It was lonely without you. And it was more than just that.”

“Then what was it?” asked Klaus, reaching across the table to take her hand. Then, he saw her long fingernails and thought better of it.

“Oh, it was everything,” said Pi. “I was lonely, Klaus, and bored. I couldn’t get a job as the mayor’s wife, only volunteer work. Which was good for a while but I wanted to do something more than that. I wanted to make something of myself. You were the mayor, and I was just your cute wife. Something pretty to look at, the person who made the tea and cakes and biscuits when you had visitors.”

“I’m sorry,” said Klaus, looking at her with sorrowful eyes. “I didn’t even think about you.”

“No, you didn’t,” said Pi. “And that’s our problem. That’s why I went to that witch who introduced me to witchcraft.”

“Oh. So you like women, then?” asked Klaus.

“What? No, that’s not what I meant,” said Pi, frowning at him. “I love you but gods, you’re thick as a brick sometimes.”

“So you still love me, then,” said Klaus.

“Of course I do! That’s why I came to visit you,” said Pi. “I want to reconnect with you, Klaus. But you have to show me that things will be different. Let me have a say on important town things, let me do something. Don’t just leave me in the summer house this time.”

“Well, I can’t, because you turned it into a swamp,” said Klaus. “By the way, can you maybe change that back? I miss the beautiful lake.”

“So do I but it’s too late,” said Pi. “I have dumped too many vile concoctions into it. And I won’t get rid of it because it’s my home now.”

“Can’t you at least change the way there?” asked Klaus. “That path is so dangerous. Just a few weeks ago, I heard that a man from Epona slipped and fell into the water.”

“What?” asked Pi, looking concerned. “I should speak with him. If he swallowed that water…”

“He did, actually. His wife was here earlier,” said Klaus.

“I accept all responsibility for what happened,” said Pi. “I must talk to his poor wife, then. Though I fear it may already be too late.”

“I hope that it isn’t, she looked so distraught,” said Klaus. “And of course, I will be expected to pay her for the trauma that her family has gone through.”

“Family,” Pi echoed, looking down sadly. “That’s another thing we missed out on.”

“You had trouble conceiving anyway, though, remember?” said Klaus. “I thought that that was why you became a witch.”

“No,” said Pi. “It was one of the factors that convinced me to take up witchcraft, but then I got so caught up in the power that I just forgot about that dream.”

“And now?” asked Klaus.

“Now it is too late,” said Pi. “I am simply too old to bear children now. I am sorry, Klaus, if that is what you want.”

“I have enough trouble just running the village sometimes,” said Klaus. “Raising children would just be too much. Though I do want to have a family again. Just with you.”

“Well, we can start by fixing what problems I caused,” said Pi. “Tomorrow, you can organise a meeting with that woman.”

“And for today?” asked Klaus.

“We can talk,” said Pi. “We have a lot of catching up to do.”

And so, over cold tea and biscuits from the cupboard (Pi had to admit that she made much better ones), the two of them caught up on lost time. Before Pi left for the night, she gave Klaus a gentle kiss on the cheek. He tried to convince her to stay, but she couldn’t. Monsters came out during the Halloween period, and it was the job of the witches to keep them away from innocent mortals.


	2. Making Amends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pi speaks with the Rockwells.

Pi flipped through the pages of a heavy tome as she sat at the mayor’s driftwood table. She knew that there were spells for cleansing, but most of the spells she’d found so far were only for cleansing the spirit or cleansing air. Nothing about cleansing water yet.

“Can I help at all?” asked Klaus, still in the kitchen as he had been all morning.

“Hmm… well, I don’t suppose you know how to brew swamp tea?” Pi asked. Her husband turned a little green at that, and she chuckled. “Thought not. It’s actually quite good though, you should try it.”

“I’d prefer not to,” said Klaus. Pi snorted.

“Suit yourself,” said Pi. “I brought some with me anyway, go and fetch the thermos out of my bag.”

“Um… this is a cauldron,” said Klaus, recoiling a little from it.

“Bags just aren’t hardy enough to survive a swamp atmosphere, cauldrons are much better for that,” said Pi. “Oh, take the thermos out, it won’t bite you.”

“Alright,” said Klaus. He tentatively reached into the cauldron, and Pi had to suppress the urge to frighten him in some way.

“Thank you,” said Pi once the thermos was set on the table in front of her. She poured herself a cup of the green liquid, then took a sip.

“And you say that you can safely drink that?” asked Klaus, looking thoughtful.

“Well, yes. Once it’s boiled, swamp water is safe for consumption,” said Pi.

“I believe I may have just found your solution,” said Klaus, smiling slightly.

“Hmm? And what is that?” asked Pi, taking another sip of her delicious tea.

“Well, if you say that boiling the swamp water makes it safe for consumption, then maybe you could just do that with the water in your swamp,” said Klaus.

“I didn’t even think of that,” said Pi, chuckling. “Swamp tea saves the day once again.” Klaus looked confused at that.

“What?” asked Klaus.

“Swamp tea always helps me to solve problems,” said Pi. “Whenever I’m stuck, a cup or three of swamp tea gets the old brain working in top form.”

“Well then, how are you going to boil your entire swamp?” asked Klaus. “And how will this help you with Thomas Rockwell?”

“I’ll figure something out, but at least I’ve got an idea now,” said Pi. “I probably don’t have time to do anything today, though. When did you say that the Rockwells would arrive?”

“Any minute now,” said Klaus. “Do you think that you should maybe… make yourself look presentable?”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” asked Pi, giving him a steely glare. Klaus paled.

“Well, I just mean that Edward Rockwell is quite young,” said Klaus. “And he might be afraid of you or hateful towards you.”

“I don’t plan on hiding my true nature, Klaus,” said Pi. “I deserve all of the hatred in that young boy’s heart. I should have disposed of my potions better, but I was just so repulsed by the vile things when I saw the light that I couldn’t even think.”

“We all make mistakes,” said Klaus, putting his hands over hers without even thinking about it. “I threw the key to Scarecrow Hill into the ocean because I was frightened of your scarecrows.”

“Really?” Pi asked, and laughed at his nod. When she stopped laughing, she smiled gently at him. “Thank you for the laugh. I needed that.”

“I thought you might,” said Klaus. Pi leaned across the table and kissed him on the lips. Klaus wanted to return the gesture, but there was a knock at the door.

“That’s probably them,” said Pi. “You should let them in. I’ll wait here.” Klaus licked his lips and nodded. Swamp tea actually didn’t taste that bad.

“Is she here?” a young voice called through the house when the door was opened. “Where is she? Where’s the witch who hurt my dad?” Pi sighed, readying herself for the well-deserved tirade she was about to receive.

“Edward, please, she’s the mayor’s wife,” a woman’s voice protested, but Edward had already reached the kitchen. He was a skinny boy and looked well-groomed, his ginger hair smooth and his face clean. But his green eyes blazed with fury as he caught sight of the witch sitting at the table.

“You! You’re the witch!” Edward shouted at her, and Pi nodded.

“I am,” said Pi. “And I am deeply sorry for what happened to your father, Edward.”

“Why didn’t you help him?” asked Edward, staring at her with tears in his hate-filled eyes.

“I didn’t even know about it until a few days ago,” said Pi.

“Didn’t you hear him fall in the water? Or are you deaf?” asked Edward, still glaring at her. 

“There are always splashes in my swamp,” said Pi. 

“What was he taking you, anyway?” asked Edward. “Something awful to go into one of your potions?”

“No, he was actually bringing me some rare plants and herbs,” said Pi. “I’m a good witch now.”

“Oh yeah? Then how come your swamp made dad so sick?” asked Edward.

“Well, I hardly expected people to come drinking from it,” said Pi, feeling her temper flare up at the boy’s accusations. Thankfully, the boy’s mother finally entered the room, saving Pi from snapping at the boy.

“Edward, leave the woman alone!” the woman scolded. She looked at Pi. “I’m so sorry, miss, he’s just very upset about his father.”

“I know,” said Pi. “I’m sure that you must be as well.”

“Well… yes, but it wasn’t your fault,” said the woman. “Well, not entirely, anyway.”

“It was my swamp that made him sick,” said Pi. “If I hadn’t requested that delivery, he would have never been there.”

“No, let me explain,” said the woman. “Thomas was almost drowned by a Will-o-the-Wisp.” Pi blinked in surprise.

“I thought that those were just myths,” said Pi.

“Unfortunately not,” said the woman. “He was following one but then he slipped on a rock and hit his head, which brought him out of his trance. Unfortunately, he also swallowed some swamp water.” She looked down sadly at her hands.

“At least he is still alive,” said Pi.

“Edward, why don’t you go somewhere else? I need to speak to the witch in private,” said the woman to her boy. Pi understood immediately. The boy knew that his father was sick, but he had no idea just how sick he was.

“But mum, the witch might turn you into a toad or something,” said Edward.

“No she won’t, you don’t have to worry,” said the woman. “The mayor will make sure that she doesn’t hurt me.”

“Yes, I will,” said Klaus, nodding. “Go and have a look around the village, you might find something interesting.”

“Okay, but I won’t go far,” said Edward, fixing Pi with another steely glare.

Once Edward was gone, Klaus and the Rockwell woman sat down at the table.

“Just how sick is your husband?” asked Pi.

“He is losing his humanity,” said the woman. “He doesn’t trust himself around other people, and he becomes a monster sometimes. Especially if he’s hungry or angry.”

“Hmm,” Pi hummed thoughtfully. “That could be any number of things, but one of the mixtures that I tipped into the swamp was one to turn an ordinary horse into a monster.”

“Do you know how to reverse it?” asked the woman. “Jorvik root keeps it at bay most of the time, but now his illness makes him reject it. Even if he does manage to eat it, he can’t keep it down.”

“I know how it can be done, but it cannot be done by me or any other witch,” said Pi. “Only a Soul Rider can reverse this illness. You should speak with the druids, they may be able to help or at least point you in the right direction.”

“I have to admit, I was prepared to hate you,” said the woman. “But you were so patient with Edward. Even I would struggle to just sit there and take that. You must be a strong woman.”

“Oh, she is,” said Klaus, putting a hand on Pi’s shoulder. “Even before she became a witch, she was quite strong.”

“Why are you still a witch, though?” asked the woman.

“I am a good witch now,” said Pi. “I want to undo all of the evils that I have done. And, with my powers and vegan witchcraft, perhaps I can make a difference.”

“I’m sure that you can,” said Klaus.

“Well, if you manage to cure my husband, I’ll be very grateful,” said the woman.

“I’ll speak with the druids as soon as possible,” said Pi. “And I’ll do whatever I can to give him a speedy recovery.”

After the Rockwells had left, Pi found herself in her husband’s embrace.

“I’m proud of you for making it through that without breaking down,” said Klaus. But when he pulled away to look at her, he saw tears in his wife’s eyes.

“Oh Klaus, what have I done?” said Pi, leaning on him. “I not only ruined our beautiful summer house, I also ruined that family. I deserved every hurtful word that boy said to me.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” said Klaus, gently stroking her back. “You’re trying to fix it now.”

“But what if it’s too late? What if Thomas can’t be saved and he dies or kills someone he loves?” asked Pi.

“Then at least others won’t follow the same fate,” said Klaus. “Come now, my dear. We’ll have some swamp tea and calm down. Then, you can see the druids whenever you’re ready.”

“Okay,” said Pi, sniffling. She sat back down at the table, clasping her trembling hands on the table-top, while Klaus poured out two cups of swamp tea.

“I might try it,” said Klaus at her curious look. Pi smiled gratefully at him. At least her husband wouldn’t let her wallow in self-pity. Nothing would get done if she did that.


End file.
